Customer Reviews

His Girl Friday (Enhanced) 1940

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Although I personally love this movie, I noticed that almost all of the reviewers of this version (supposedly "real name" ones as well) seem to be the same person, probably an employee of Triad Productions. I noticed that by clicking the "see all my reviews" hyperlink underneath the reviewers' names gave me a list of the products they had reviewed, and nearly all of them were movies produced by Triad Productions, and all were reviewed extremely favorably. Therefore, I have concluded that this is the same phenomena seen in the Dilbert cartoon [...] .
I find it highly suspicious that the reviewers of this product just happen to have written all their reviews about Triad Productions films and given all of them very favorable ratings.
This may be just a coincidence, but if it is it certainly is a huge one.

This review pertains to this version of His Girl Friday. I noticed a bad review and had to post this in response. My version recieved has no missing scenes. I believe that gentleman just got a defective copy. He should return it to Amazon instead of misleading people. This is by far the best version of this film I have owned. The video quality is clearly enhanced and the sound is clean and crisp

With Howard Hawks in the director's chair and Cary Grant in the lead role, you're pretty much guaranteed to have a good time. His Girl Friday isn't the first or last film adaptation of the 1928 play The Front Page, but it is easily the best. This thing comes at you a mile a minute, with dialogue that starts out at break-neck speed and never slows down and more humorous moments than you can find time to laugh at. It's an unusual romantic comedy, given the fact that Cary Grant's character is a little less than noble (he is a rather ruthless newspaper man, after all) and the nice guy in the picture is lucky to finish at all, but there's still something endearing about the whole relationship between Walter Burns (Grant) and his former ace reporter Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell), who also happens to be his ex-wife (in earlier adaptations of the story, Hildy was just a darn good male reporter). Hildy is due to get married in less than 24 hours, and Burns is desperate to win her back - for the newspaper as well as himself. The big city proves most cooperative in his endeavors, with a corrupt sheriff and mayor getting set to hang a "dangerous" little man for murder in order to bolster their bids for reelection in three days. And that's only the beginning of this screwball comedy story. This battle of the sexes turns into one of the most impressive battles of wits the big screen has ever seen, and the whole wild and crazy story makes for an extraordinary experience.

Hildegard "Hildy" Johnson (played by Rosalind Russell) is a hard-boiled reported for The Morning Post, but she is ready to hang it all up and marry Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy), an insurance agent who is about as stable as a brick wall and almost as exciting. But, Hildy's editor, Walter Burns (Cary Grant) does not want to see her go, and he is not above using trickery to keep her. Burns arranges to have Baldwin arrested over and over again, but if there is one thing that will keep Hildy on the job it is the lure of the big scoop. And when a man on death-row escapes and bumps into Hildy the big scoop is hers for the taking.

Even though this movie was released in 1940, it still has an interesting story, and the badinage between Grant and Russell makes the entire movie come alive. This is one of my favorite old-time movies, and it is easy to see how it made it onto the American Film Institute's list of top 100 comedy movies, 100 Years... 100 Laughs. If you like great badinage, then this movie is for you. I give it my highest recommendations!

There's a lot than can be said about the film itself: Howard Hawks' best comedy and possibly his best film, one of the earliest uses of overlapping dialogue (and probably the best), tightest screenwriting, etc., etc. If you want to know more about the film, there are lots of other reviews which sing its praises. My focus is on helping you to buy the best-quality version available.

Beware of all except the Columbia Classics edition (with the small orange oval near the bottom left of the front cover which confirms the transfer from film to DVD was "Restored from the Original Negative!"). Most of these were made on the cheap with poor transfers from inferior prints which look and sound awful. Get the Columbia Classics edition, released November 21, 2000, through Sony Pictures, ASIN: 6305416192. The Columbia Classics version features an excellent transfer: the picture quality is crisp and clear, with no contrast issues or visual artifacts, and the restored mono soundtrack is clean and full, with no muffled lower end or tinny-sounding high end. Enjoy!

I don't understand these reviews at all. I bought this disc based on the 4 and 5 star reviews, and now I wonder if they all work for th ecompany that mastered this.

The transfer was HORRIBLE. The picture is herky-jerky, the sound is out of sync, there's no sharpness at all (did they master it from a 16mm print?).

This is based - I will admit - on only the first 2 minutes. It was SO BAD we could not watch it any longer.

The WORST looking DVD I have ever purchased from amazon bar none.

Reviewed other buyers remarks prior to placing item on my wish list. This copy had the least number of negative remarks. Received item as a gift. During the opening scene the voices did not match the actors lip movement. Film "quit" three seperate times while viewing. Returned to Amazaon as item was not offered as an exchange. Buyer Beware of this particular copy of a really fun story. Hope Amazon can locate a better copy for future buyers.

One of the fastest moving films I have ever seen, His Girl Friday is relentless in its action and pace, yet never feels to rushed or contrived for its own advantage. Adapted from a play by the great screenwriter Ben Hecht, director Howard Hawks changed the second lead to a female, centered the story more on the hustle and bustle of journalism and a success was born.

Of course it helps that the two stars were Cary Grant, arguably the greatest of all comedic actors in early Hollywood, and Rosalind Russell, an actress borrowed from another studio but may very well be the only one who could have pulled this part off. The dialog also works as something of true genius. Charles Lederer adapted the play, but it is really Hawks that deserves the credit as he was open to allowing virtually any type of spontaneous idea or improvisation to further improve the story. Here, I am sure there were countless instances and it works seemingly every time.

Howard Hawks was responsible for a lot of outstanding movies, like "The Big Sleep" and "Bringing Up Baby."

But one of his best was wild, witty screwball comedy "His Girl Friday," which has never quite gotten the same recognition as those better known films. It has razor-sharp, bullet-fast dialogue, a hilarious plot and Cary Grant as (once more) a divorced man who won't give up so easily. You'll never look at a rolltop desk the same way again.

Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell) comes into her ex-husband's newspaper office. Walter (Cary Grant) is ready to give her her old job -- until she announces that she's marrying a nice, dull insurance agent (Ralph Bellamy). Walter insists that Hildy can't just go to Albany and be a housewife, and she insists that that's exactly what she wants.

So the wily ex bribes Hildy to cover a sensational cop-killing case -- the convicted man is scheduled to be executed in the morning -- and takes the opportunity to make life difficult for her fiancee. Now Hildy tries to get the facts behind the cop-shooting, while battling with a corrupt mayor who wants the convicted man dead. Is the sordid world of journalism -- and Walter -- what Hildy really wants? Looks like it.

Sometimes even if people don't get along, they fit so perfectly that trying to get together with someone else is pointless -- just look at Shakespeare's Beatrice and Benedick. Personally I've never experienced that kind of love (yet), but I've seen couples who do work the way Hildy and Walter do. Howard Hawks captures the feel of such couples perfectly.

In addition to the screwball romance, Hawks mixes in a cop-killing, a prison break, an attempted suicide, a conspiracy for mayoral votes, and a lot of reporters slavering for a hit story. It's a tight, taut little story peppered with humor, like the convict in the roll-top desk, or Bellamy's imperious mother being dragged out of the building.

Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell have electric chemistry in this movie, from the first scene right to the finale. It's a shame that they apparently didn't collaborate on any other movies, because in terms of comedy skill, they fit as snugly as two pieces of a puzzle -- they jabber together, trade fast barbs, and lob insults that don't pierce each other's skin.

Their dialogue is as fast as their wits: "I wish you hadn't done that, Hildy." "Done what?" "Divorced me. It makes a man feel he's not wanted!" And on the sidelines, Bellamy has an amusing role as the rather slow-witted fiancee whom Grant charms and then gets arrested. Interestingly, Bellamy played the same role in "Awful Truth," another Grant movie about a divorced guy trying to win his ex-wife...

"His Girl Friday" is one of those classic movies that leaves you with a warm glow and a cynical chuckle. Hilarious from start to finish, especially with Grant and Russell.

I didn't buy my copy at Amozon, in fact I don'i remember were I got it.
It is a Hollywood Classic Collection DVD.
It's put out by Madacy.
It's horrible to watch.
I would like to but a new one, but I don't know what version to buy.
Can you help me out?
John

This movie has been put down alot in reviews that I have read on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes but I feel that those reviews were written by people who watched the movie without ever seeing another Cary Grant movie or understanding the movies of the time.

Cary Grant never won an oscar even though he deserved several, this movie being one of those foremost. His Girl Friday is about a newspaper man who puts his work first no matter what. Even when it comes to losing his wife, played by Rosalind Russell. He plays this character to a tee. His almost over the top acting is what makes this movie great. It has a Groucho Marx feel to it that you will see in the first scene when his estranged wife shows up to tell him she is marrying another man. He proclaims "Well Hello Hildy" and the character is defined.

This version looks like it comes with Penny Serenade also which is a bit of a break from comedy for Grant but also a great flick.